Friday, March 29, 2019

Hang Clean

Friday, March 29, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Lacey/Janet

12:00 PM ~ 12 of us

Warm Up

Hip/Hammy
20 ankle drivers
20 air squats
20 lateral lunges
20 trunk twists
10 cat/camel
20 jump squat

PVC Clean
shift drill - knee to pocket
triple extension
high pull
turn over drill
front squat
foot work

Empty Barbell Hang Cleans

Hang Cleans

Every 90 seconds, for 12 minutes (8 sets):

Hang Clean (1)
Start moderate and build to a heavy single – take no more than 5% jumps between sets

50-55-60-65-70-72-72-72kg (159#)

I struggle to get under the bar and typically find myself doing a power clean and then a front squat.  Lacey suggested focusing on my foot work to transition into a squat stance quicker.

Metcon

For time:
Row 1500 Meters
15 Hang Cleans (225/135 lbs)
30 Alternating Pistols

I paced the row really well and finished at 7:00 on the nose for the cap.

I lightened the hang clean substantially to 60kg (132#) we were challenged to keep our heavy single.  I finished the 15 reps at 16:00 (~9 minutes)

I scaled the alternating pistols to pistols to a 20" box and was able to get through all 30 at 19:20 (40 seconds under the cap for this workout

Walking Lunges - 100' with 35# racked on the left shoulder

Reverse Hyper - 2 sets of 8 reps at 90#

CrossFit Backpack

It is time for another random post.  This time about CrossFit backpacks.  The market is flooded with products to take another $100 of my hard earned money.  Top brands that come to mind are:

Reebok CrossFit - ($150)
King Kong - External shoe pocket ($140)
Hylete - Insulated pockets for food ($200)
Bear Komplex - Cheapest ($100)

All of them have a variety of features and at the end of the day, none of them are that much better than a reusable grocery store bag.

I do bring a lot of stuff to the gym and at minimum would want space for:

Lifters
Weight belt
Knee Sleeves
Wrist wraps
Grips
Tape
Phones/Wallet/Keys/meds/EDC
Long sleeve shirt/sweats

If I were to design a bag:

Base semi-rigid zippered compartment for shoes / food containers
Large central section for belt, knee sleeves, clothes, etc
Top zippered compartment for EDC
Side zips for water bottles


Thursday, March 28, 2019

Gymnastics - Metcon

Thursday, March 28, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Janet/Diedre

12:00 PM ~8 of us

Warm Up

2 rounds
15 jumping jacks
5 inch worms
5 jumping pull-ups
5 wall walk ups
15 banded planks right/left
5 flip from down dog to crab

Gymnastics
Every 2:30 minutes, for 15 minutes (3 sets each), rotate through the following stations:

Rope Climb (4)
No more than 4 ascents
(Scale to Knotted Ropes OR 4 Sit to Stand Reps)

I did 2 full climbs and 1 partial per round.  I got a tip to pull my legs higher with each pull and that helped a lot.  I still prefer a full wrap to the j hold.

Freestanding Handstand Hold Work (1)
Accumulating 1-2 minutes of inverted work

Kicked up to wall and could hold for 10-15 seconds a couple of times.  Janet pointed out that elbows do not seem locked out.  Vertically look ok.  On the last round I kicked up to the band and would like to practice that more.

Metcon

Three rounds for time of:
800 Meter Run
20 Dumbbell Thrusters (50/35lbs)

I did an 800m run the first round and came in at 4:45 and decided to switch to 600's.  On the DB thrusters, I scaled to 25# and did 5/5/5/5 then 7/5/5/3 then 6/6/4/4 for the breaks.  I finished in 18:44.  Looking at it on Google Earth Pro the 800m seems perfect and the 600m looks more like 530m.

No accessory work today.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Push Press - Metcon

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Janet/Diedre

12:00 PM ~ 15 of us

Warm Up

2 Rounds of
10 throwdown
10 seal swings (arm crossovers)
5 arm circles f/b
monkey hangs
10 air squat to squat jump
wrist circles
banded external rotation
banded internal rotation
scap pull-ups
ring rows

Barbell warm-up
triceps smash
dip/pause/stand
push press

Push Press

Take 15-20 minutes to build to today’s 1-RM Push Press
Push Press (1)

10x20
5x40
5x50
3x60
1x64
1x68
1x70
1x71kg (157#)

Metcon

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible 3 minutes of:

5 Strict Pull-Ups
10 Russian Kettlebell Swings (32/24 kg)
15 Hand Release Push-Ups

Rest 3 minutes, and repeat for a total of 3 working sets.

I scaled this to banded pull-ups the first 2 rounds and then switched to negatives for the 3rd round.  I used a 20kg KB and did 10 HRPU/round

First round = 2+5 reps (did pull-ups)
Second round = 2+4 reps = 4+9 reps (got 4 of the KBS)
Third round = 1 + 24 reps = 6+8 reps (finished on KBS)

Finished with 5x60 feet walking lunges = 300 ft

Sunday, March 24, 2019

Dan Gaudreau Bench Press Clinic

I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to spend a couple of hours at a bench press clinic by Dan Gaudreau hosted at Strong Bodies Performance Center by Rachel and Jason Crass.

Dan Gaudreau is a many time IPF World Champion and World Record Holder and has coached some phenomenal athletes including Blaine Sumner who bench 1,003 lbs at the 2019 Arnold.

We spent about an hour talking about the rules of USA Powerlifting Bench Press and international competition, commands, training theory and factors contributing to bench press success.

The Bench Press is the only movement that has a world championship.  The standard commands in competition are Start, Press and Rack.  Common faults include Red Card (not touching chest), Blue Card (going up, then down, then back up; heaving; any downward motion during press), and Yellow Card (a catch all for buttocks off the bench, moving feet, not waiting for commands, and others).  In competition only act when command given, shoulders and buttocks must contact bench and feet must be flat on the ground and not touching the bench press platform.

Strength is achieved through Adaptation to Imposed Demand (SAID).  Factors affecting success include (1) Training Program, (2) Nutrition, and possibly most frequently overlooked (3) Recovery.  Adaptation includes muscle hypertrophy, Intermuscular coordination (muscles fibers contracting in unison) and Intramuscular coordination (pectorals, triceps, shoulder muscles, leg drive working together).  Recovery cannot be judged by feel, it should be comprehensively examined with factors including sleep, soreness, mood, looking forward to workout, resting heart rate, blood pressure and other factors.  Testing vertical leap every few weeks is the best indicator of overall central nervous system recovery.

Work during the bench press is a function of mass, distance and velocity.  Position is directly related the distance and best exemplified by Female Japanese Bench Press athletes.  Arching the back from shoulders to buttocks minimizes the distance the bar needs to travel.  Widening the grip to pointer fingers 81cm apart minimizes the distance the bar needs to travel.  Arching the shoulders by pinching the shoulder blades minimizes the distance the bar needs to travel.

While the bench press is a test of upper body strength, in actuality the bench press involves the entire body beginning with leg drive.  Good bench press position positions the feet flat on the floor in a position in which leg drive will not result in the buttocks lifting off the bench.  It is not a comfortable position even when properly trained.

In terms of programming sufficient recovery is rarely possible training bench press more than 2X per week.  Rear deltoid training is an essential part of any bench press program and is best performed

The second hour was hands on and first consisted of a review of the ER Bench and the differences between it and the Eleiko Bench.  The spotter arms should be positioned to protect the throat (no lower than 3.  Positioning the spotter arms to protect the face risks touching them during a lift.  The rack height should be maximized for an easier lift off.

Getting into good position begins by getting under the bar with the head well behind the bar and the feet on the bench.  Then the arch is established by sliding towards the feet.  Next the shoulder blades are arched to further minimize bar distance traveled.  Finally the feet are lowered one at a time and placed flat on the floor and back towards the head, sufficiently wide to eliminate the buttocks coming off the bench (they will be unweighted during the lift, but will not raise off the bench).  Foot position essentially lowers the knee.

Training for strong arch position can be accomplished with a large exercise ball, foam roller or even a football at various states of inflation.  Mobility is essential for a strong position.

Proper competitive position is often criticized by non-competitive athletes as it minimizes range of motion, derogatorily referred to as "belly benching."  However, increased range of motion poses greater risk to the shoulders.

Cadence of lifting contributes to compensatory acceleration.  Lowering on a 1..2..count and then pressing up through the heels quickly increases compensatory acceleration.  As the squat could be considered a slowed down jump, the bench press is a slowed down punch.  There should be no break in the wrist angle and the elbows should be inline below the wrists.  There should not be any chicken winging.  Heeled shoes (think Olympic weightlifting shoes) can be used to ensure the foot remains flat during a lift if the heel has a tendency to lift up.  The bar must lower to a point between the clavicle an the belt during the start command.  The actual position depends on the highest point created by proper bench press position.

We also discussed wrist wraps to essential "cast" the wrist joint and eliminate any movement.  A good tape job pushes right to the line of not including the palm of the hand and is tight.

Finally we discussed programming partial movements with the underlying concept that you lift 400# to lift 300#.  You do NOT lift 200# to lift 300#.  It is better to work with larger weights through the strongest part of the bench press with the use of pins or boards, rather than training the weakest part of the bench press.  Bands and chains are another opportunity to train the strongest part of the bench press.

I was very impressed with Dan's knowledge and communications skills.  He is truly a master of the movement and encouraged us to all be students of the movement, studying all of the minutia of the bench press.  Dan and his wife Jennifer own Rocky Mountain Lifting Club in Aurora, a 5500 square foot facility in Aurora.

Strong Bodies Performance Center is a great gym that has multiple power racks, benches and Olympic lifting platforms in addition to a host of bars, competition bumper and iron weights, dumbbells, grip training and specialized equipment for accessory work.  Rachel and Jason use the Strong Bodies facility for training clients while pass card access is available for Strong Bodies members.

There were 13 of us in the class.  11 women and 2 men.  Most aspired to competitive lifting.  There were a few CrossFit athletes who also lift competitively.  I felt like a true novice among those athletes.

My current bench press position is not a competitive position.  My back is flat, my feet too far forward and narrow and my grip is too narrow.  I understand what constitutes a competitive position and should train in that direction.

The bench press is not a movement that can be fully understood in 2 hours.  It was ambitious to coach 13 athletes with 3-4 to each of the four benches.  However, at $25 it was a tremendous value and provided invaluable insights.  Top 3:
  1. Track recovery
  2. Rear deltoid training
  3. Lift 400# to lift 300#


Friday, March 22, 2019

2019 CrossFit Open Retrospective

Friday, March 22, 2019

It is really nice to be at a box again and participating in the CrossFit Open.  I did not have any delusions of grandeur, but I was very pleased with myself for completing all of the workouts.

19.1 - Wall Ball Shots / Rowing - Rx
19.2 - T2B / DU / Squat Cleans - Rx
19.3 - Walking Lunges / Box Step Up / HSPU / HS Walk - Scaled
19.4 - Snatch / Burpee / Pull-ups - Scaled
19.5 - Thrusters / Pull-ups - Scaled

19.1 Rx sucked and I need to train with the 20 med ball to 10' more often

It was really great to have double under well enough to do 19.2 Rx.  The T2B were hideous singles.

19.3  I did not have walking lunges with the DB overhead.

19.4  I might have managed 95# snatches, but felt safer at 65# and had I gone Rx, I would not have bar muscle ups.

19.5  I might have managed 95# thrusters, but C2B would have been really ugly.

I would like to pick off my limiters between now and next year's Open in October.

To that end, I would like to do additional work 2x/week on the following progressions.  Ideally, I would opt for 6 week cycles and given my limiters, I will have to forgo working on 115# OHS.  If I happen to be strong enough for C2B, I would like to work on muscle ups also.  Similar to the deadlift program I did several years back, I would want to focus on volume one day and strength one day.

3/25/2019 - Walking Lunges - Workout 1:  200 ft no weight; Workout 2:  100 ft 35#DB racked
4/1/2019 - Workout 1:  250 ft no weight, Workout 2:  100 ft 50#DB racked
4/8/2019 - Workout 1:  300 ft no weight, Workout 2:  100 ft 20#DB overhead
4/15/2019 - Workout 1:  300 ft no weight + burpees every 100 ft, Workout 2:  100 ft 35#DB overhead
4/22/2019 - Workout 1:  300 ft no weight + burpees every 100 ft, Workout 2:  100 ft 50#DB overhead
5/6/2019 - Workout 1:  300 ft no weight + burpees every 100 ft, Workout 2:  100 ft 65#BB overhead

5/13/2019 - Toes 2 Bar - Workout 1:  50 hanging knee raises, Workout 2:  10 K2E
5/20/2019 - Workout 1:  75 hanging knee raises, Workout 2:  20 K2E
5/27/2019 - Workout 1:  100 hanging knee raises, Workout 2:  30 K2E
6/3/2019 - Workout 1:  50 hanging leg raises, Workout 2:  10 T2B
6/10/2019 - Workout 1:  75 hanging leg raises, Workout 2:  20 T2B
6/17/2019 - Workout 1:  100 hanging leg raises, Workout 2:  30 T2B

6/24/2019  - 95# Thruster - Workout 1:  50@65, Workout 2:  20@95
7/1/2019 - Workout 1:  75@65, Workout 2:  30@95
7/8/2019 - Workout 1:  100@65, Workout 2:  40@95
7/15/2019 - Workout 1:   50@75, Workout 2:  50@95
7/22/2019 - Workout 1:  50@85, Workout 2:  50@95
7/29/2019 - Workout 1:  50@95, Workout 2:  50@95

8/5/2019 - Chest 2 Bar - Workout 1:  20 kipping COB, Workout 2:  10 strict COB
8/12/2019 - Workout 1:  30 kipping COB, Workout 2:  15 strict COB
8/19/2019 - Workout 1:  40 kipping COB, Workout 2:  20 strict COB
8/26/2019 - Workout 1:  40 kipping COB, Workout 2:  10 kipping C2B
9/2/2019 - Workout 1:  40 kipping COB, Workout 2:  15 kipping C2B
9/9/2019 - Workout 1:  40 kipping COB, Workout 2:  20 kipping C2B

9/16/2019 - HSPU - Workout 1:  10 lower to 2 mats, Workout 2:  5 HSPU from 3 mats
9/23/2019 - Workout 1:  15 lower to 2 mats, Workout 2:  6 HSPU from 3 mats
9/30/2019 - Workout 1:  15 lower to 2 mats, Workout 2:  7 HSPU from 3 mats
10/7/2019 - Workout 1:  10 lower to 1 mat, Workout 2:  1 HSPU from 2 mats
10/14/2019 - Workout 1:  15 lower to 1 mats, Workout 2:  2 HSPU from 2 mats
10/21/2019 - Workout 1:  10 lower to ground, Workout 2:  3 HSPU from 2 mats

Everything feels reasonable, except the HSPU.  The Pull-ups may be ambitious as well.

UPDATE 3/29/2019

I had a chance to talk to the head coach at CrossFit Golden and she understands my motivations and suggested including a lot more variation.  For example with HSPU, round the world would do a lot to strengthen my shoulders.  Similarly with C2B or T2B, V up progressions would be valuable to get a good kip going for those movements.

We decided that I would try my program for the first cycle since there is nothing technical to lunges and if I want programming and private coaching it would be $50 for the hour it would take to create a six week program and work through all of the movements.

She also challenged me to focus on nutrition.


19.5 - Thrusters-Jumping Pull-ups

Friday, March 22, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Lacey

12:00 PM - 5 of us in CrossFit Open, ~9 in regular workout with Janet

Warm Up

2 Rounds of

6 burpees
3 bootstrappers
3 quad/ham stretch
5 oh press
5 push press

then Barbell warm up

5 push press
5 front squat
10 thrusters


Crossfit Games Open 19.5 (Ages 16-54) (Time)
33-27-21-15-9 reps for time of:

Thrusters 95lb/65lb
Chest-to-bar pull-ups

Time cap: 20 minutes

Crossfit Games Open 19.5 Scaled (Ages 16-54) (Time)
33-27-21-15-9 reps for time of:

Thrusters 65lb/45lb
Jumping pull-ups

Time cap: 20 minutes

This was as bad as advertised, with absolutely no opportunity to catch your breath and I was taking extremely long pauses during breaks.

33 Thrusters: 2:55 (5.3 each)
33 Jumping Pull-ups:  4:50 (1:55, 3.5 each)
27 Thrusters: 8:36 (2:44, 6.1 each)
27 Jumping Pull-ups:  10:40 (2:04, 4.6 each)
21 Thrusters:  14:44 (4:04, 11.6 each)
21 Jumping Pull-ups:  16:30 (1:46, 5.1 each)
15 Thrusters:  19:30 (3:00, 12 each)
7 Jumping Pull-ups:  20:00 (0:30, 4.3 each)

184 Scaled Reps!!

Well that is another Open in the books and I have every confidence that in the absence of the cap, I could have finished this workout in another 3-4 minutes.  I definitely could not have done it Rx.  My forearms are lit and my back was starting to tense up on the thrusters that I was breaking up into sets of 3 at the end.

I judged Alex who crushed the workout at 172 Rx Reps! 

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Metcon

Wednesday, March 20, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Greg

12:00 PM ~ 9 of us

Warm Up

1 min row
1 min quad and lunge
1 min IT band (figure 4)
1 min row
1 min air squat
1 min hamstring floss
1 min row
1 min farmers carry walk
1 min banded hip flexor
1 min row
1 min banded clam shell
1 min freestyle (calf stretch)

Metcon (AMRAP - Reps)

Every 2 minutes, for 30 minutes (5 sets):

Station 1 – 450/350 Meters of Rowing
Station 2 – 60-Foot Walking Lunges with KB/DB Farmer’s Carry (32/24 kg)
Station 3 –300 Meter Run

This could have been a brutal workout.  I scaled it for active recovery.

  • I did 300m rows and was finishing in 1:20 to 1:30
  • I did lunges with 8kg the first two rounds and then unweighted the last 2 rounds.  I was finishing in 1:00 to 1:10.  I was putting some KB away and just grabbing the 32kg KB for farmers carry were brutal.  I could not imagine lunging with them.
  • I did the full 300m run and was finishing in 1:35 to 1:45.


Reverse Hyper
2x8x90#

Pull-ups
3x3 strict
1x3 banded strict (trying to get C2B)

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Deadlift - Metcon

Tuesday, March 19, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Diedre, Janet

12:00 PM ~15 of us

Warm Up

1 min leg swings
10 lateral lunges
10 arm circles f/b
banded clam shell glute bridge
bird dogs
lateral banded plank walk
hamstring sweep
standing fire hydrant

Deadlift

Every 3 minutes, for 18 minutes (6 sets):

*Set 1 – 5 reps @ 70%
*Set 2 – 4 reps @ 75%
*Set 3 – 3 reps @ 80%
*Set 4 – 2 reps @ 85%
*Set 5 – 2 reps @ 90%
*Set 6 – 3-5 reps @ 85%

I went

205x5
235x4
255x3
275x2
295x2
275x5 (estimated 1RM = 325?)


Metcon (Time)

Complete rounds of 15, 12 and 9 reps for time of:

Deadlift (1.25 x bodyweight for males/bodyweight for females)
Pull-Ups
Hand Release Push-Ups

I used 135# for the deadlifts, ring rows and hrpu and finished in 6:22; 

Guideline for deadlift was 50% of 1RM and I considered putting 155# on the bar, but I really do not like cycling technical movements (deadlift, squats, cleans, snatches) during sprint wods.  I was not resetting well and was bouncing the weight.  I did the first 10 pull-ups with a green band before switching to ring rows.  The hand hrpu were not bad and I could do each round in 2 sets.

Reverse Hyper
3x8x90#

GHD Extension
2x5

GHD Sit-ups
2x3

Monday, March 18, 2019

Front Squat - Metcon

Monday, March 18, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Lacey, Janet

12:00 PM ~ 14 of us

Warm Up

1 min air squats
1 min goblet wall sit

then 3 rounds of

30 DU
10 Goblet Squats
10 Banded Pull-Throughs
5 Lat/Tri Stretch (on ground with knees under and elbows under, rock back with flat back)

Spend 6 minutes working up to 75% or 1RM

Front Squat

6 sets of 3 reps E2OM
work up from 75% to 85%
50
55
60
65
70
70kg (155#; 85% of 182#)

Metcon

12 min AMRAP

20 KBS (24/16kg)
30 Air Squats (active)
40 DU

I scaled this to 16 kg swings, 20 air squats and 20 speed balls and managed 4 Rounds + 2 Reps.

Reverse Hyper
3x8x45#

Jumping C2B
2x5

Strict CoB
2-2-2-1-1

Saturday, March 16, 2019

Back Squat - Skilz

Saturday, March 16, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Open Gym

11:40 PM

Warm Up

Air Squats
Hip Hammy

Pull-ups training
activated hangs
small kips
medium kips
a few sets of kipping pull-ups
a few sets of strict pull-ups

Hand stand training
kick-up and hold
hspu to 3 mats
lowers to 2 mats

Back Squat
8x20
8x40
5x60
5x80
3x85
2x90
1x95kg (210#)

Reverse Hyper
3x8x45#

GHD Hip Extension
2x8

GHD Sit-ups
2x5

60 minutes total workout

Friday, March 15, 2019

19.4 - Snatch-Burpee-Pull-up-Burpee

Friday, March 15, 2019

CrossFit Golden - 2 coaches

4:30 PM ~20 of us

Warm Up

1 min of
air squats
burpees
scorpion f/b
burpees

Barbell warm-up

5 snatch deadlift
5 hang high pull
5 bar behind back drop and press

Pull-up warm-up

5 hang activates
3 small kips
3 faster kips

CrossFit Games Open 19.4 (Ages 16-54) (AMRAP - Reps)

3 rounds of:
 10 snatches 95lb/65lb
 12 bar-facing burpees

Then, rest 3 minutes before continuing with:

3 rounds of:
 10 bar muscle-ups
 12 bar-facing burpees

Time cap: 12 minutes, including 3-minute rest period

CrossFit Games Open 19.4 Scaled (Ages 16-54) (AMRAP - Reps)
3 rounds of:
 10 snatches 65lb/45lb
 12 bar-facing burpees

Then, rest 3 minutes before continuing with:

3 rounds of:
 10 chin-over-bar pull-ups
 12 bar-facing burpees (may step over bar)

Time cap: 12 minutes, including 3-minute rest period

I warmed up the bar with 3 quick snatches at 65# and then tested a rep at 95# and solidified my decision to go scaled.

3..2..1..Go! I started out a little fast, but broke the first set up into 5/5 and still got done in 30 seconds, the burpees took me to 1:40 and the step over certainly helped.  The second round, I went 3/2/singles and did not clock my burpees.  The third round of snatches & burpees took me to 7:18 for the tie break.

After a 3 minute rest, I felt really good and was able to go 5/3/2 on the chin over bar pull-ups, but the burpees continued to be my nemesis.  I got the 12th rep on 3..2..1..Stop! for a total of 88 Scaled Reps!

I taped my thumbs and used the gymnastics grips on the pull-up bar.  I had a belt out, but did not put it on.  I wore my Metcon 4.

At the end of the workout, I realized that I could not go much faster.  I have not decided whether or not I will repeat it Rx.  They will be slow singles, but I feel like I could get through the first half of the workout in 12 minutes and would not have to deal with the bar muscle-ups.

After judging my partner, who nearly finished the workout at 124 scaled reps, I finished on the Reverse Hyper with 3 sets of 8 at 45# again.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Hang Clean + Clean Complex

Thursday, March 14, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Lacey

12:00 PM ~ 30 of us

Warm Up

Hip Hammy stretch

then 30 s each of:

air squat
glute bridge
side steps
plank walks
plank to elbow to plank
cobra to down dog
jump squats

then clean warm up

high hang high pull
high hang power clean
hang power clean
front squat
hang clean + clean

Weightlifting

Building over the course of 20 minutes, for 10 sets:

Hang Clean + Clean (1 Complex)

Athlete will execute one clean from the hang position, and then one from the floor (squat cleans)
Build over the course of the 10 sets to today’s heavy complex

95
115
125
130
135
140
145
150 (failed)
150
150

Metcon

Metcon (Weight)

Every 90 seconds, for 15 minutes (5 sets of each):
Station 1 – 5 Hang Squat Cleans
Station 2 – 18/12 Calories of Rowing

Pick a weight for the squat cleans that will challenge you, but that you will be able to perform with good mechanics throughout the duration of the workout.

95# Hang Squat Cleans
15, 13, 13, 11, 11 calorie rows in about 45 seconds

Reverse Hyper

I had a chance to use the reverse hyper today.  Over my snow day, I watched some of Louis Simmons and his development of the piece of equipment.  Since CFG has one, it only made sense to give it a try. 

It was set up with 90# and I reduced the weight to 45# and did 3 sets of 8 repetitions.  It was a little tricky to get on and I found myself needing to scoot down to provide my hips range of motion.  I was able to control the weight well and could certainly feel the immediate relief of the traction and a nice contraction at the top.  I will try to jump on it either before class or after class whenever I can.

Snow Day - Body Weight Workout

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

Home Gym

12:30 PM

5 Rounds of

15 air squats
15 abmat sit-ups
10 push-ups

11:56

Practice candlestick roll to standing.  Could not stand it up

30 minutes total workout

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

Push Press

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Janet/Diedre

12:00 PM ~16 of us

Warm Up

Pass throughs
Side plank stretches
KB push press
KB lunges
PVC OH press
Quarter squat jumps

Push Press Warm Up
empty barbell quarter squats
empty barbell push press

Weightlifting

Six sets of:

Push Press (2-3)

Rest 2 minutes
Build to today’s heavy 2-3 reps

1x3

95
115
125
135
140
145#


Metcon

Metcon (AMRAP - Rounds and Reps)

Against a 3-minute running clock, complete as many reps as possible of:

250 Meter Run
50 Double-Unders
Max Reps of Push Press (115/75 lbs)

Rest 3 minutes between sets, and complete a total of three sets.

250m - 18 DU - 9 Push Press 75#
250m - 35 DU - 9 Push Press 75#
250m - 38 DU - 8 Push Press 75#

120 total reps

Monday, March 11, 2019

Fran Sandwich

Monday, March 11, 2019

 CrossFit Golden - Lacey

12:00 PM ~ 15 of us

Warm Up

400m run (2:30)

3 rounds of

10 boot strappers
10 jumping squat
5/5 downward dog / cobra
5 burpees
5 ring rows

3 minutes mobility

Thruster warm-up

bb fsq
bb oh press
bb thrusters
wod weight thrusters

Metcon (Time)

"Fran Sandwich"
For time:

800 Meter Run
immediately followed by…
Rounds of 21, 15 and 9 reps of:
Thrusters (95/65 lbs)
Pull-Ups
immediately followed by…
800 Meter Run

I scaled this to 600m runs, 55# thrusters and jumping pull-ups

I finished the first run in 3:37, finished Fran in 11:18 (7:41 split), and the last run was 15:56 (4:38 split).

I scaled Fran correctly, holding to 2 sets on the thrusters and 3 sets on the jumping pull-ups.

Weightlifting

Two sets of:

Bulgarian Split Squat (20 @ 1010)

First set was tough, second set was brutal.  

Friday, March 8, 2019

19.3 - Walking Lunges-Box Step Up-HSPU-HS Walk

Friday, March 8, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Lacey/Other girl

12:00 PM ~ 15 of us

Warm Up

Bear Crawl / Lateral Plank

Quad + Lunge Stretch / Crab Walk

Burpee Broad Jump / Skip + Arm Swing

Banded Lat stretch / 90-90 Crossover

Wrist Stretch / Scap Pulls

Banded Kick Backs / Banded Side Steps

HS Kick Ups
HS Negatives
HS to target depth

Crossfit Games Open 19.3 (Ages 16-54)
(AMRAP - Reps)

200-ft. dumbbell overhead lunge 50lb/35lb
50 dumbbell box step-ups 24in/20in
50 strict handstand push-ups
200-ft. handstand walk

Time cap: 10 minutes

Crossfit Games Open 19.3 Scaled 
(Ages 16-54) (AMRAP - Reps)

200-ft. dumbbell front-rack lunge 50lb/35lb
50 dumbbell box step-ups
50  5-in. elevated strict HSPU
200-ft. bear crawl

Time cap: 10 minutes

I believe it was Pat Sherwood who said about Open workouts, "Rx when I can, Scale when I must."

I had every intention of doing this workout Rx.  I felt confident that I could manage a 50# DB and OH could not be that much worse than the rack position.  Warming up, I started with the unweighted lunges.  Then I grabbed the 50# DB and tried to take a step with the DB OH and quickly realized that I might not stand it up if my knee touches the ground.  Just to be sure, I grabbed the 35# DB and tried an OH DB lunge and that did not feel much better, I got a little lower, but my knee did not touch.  That pretty much ended the Rx vs. Scale debate.

I also tried a few box step ups and these felt horrible as well.  I decided to just pace as best I could and hope for the best.

3, 2, 1, go...  I started out at what I felt was a good pace (~40 seconds per 25 feet), but found myself nearly mis-stepping twice.  I slowed down a little bit and felt pretty comfortable doing the walking lunges.  I kept the DB racked on my left shoulder as it was easier to stabilize with my left hand.  The right shoulder felt awkward when I tried switching.  By the last 50 feet, I was taking 2 breaths between each step (8 steps per 25 feet).  I finished the 200 feet at 5:07 and took a few breaths before grabbing the DB again.

The box step ups were as bad as I expected.  The 24 inch box felt really high, even without the extra 50# on board.  I set the DB behind my neck and held it with either the right or left hand.  I was doing these in singles and stepping back from the box, alternating legs every time.  Despite the slow going, I put a reasonable dent into the step ups.  I only had one no rep for pushing with my arm on my opposite leg.  3, 2, 1, stop... left me huffing and puffing at 70 scaled reps!

I wore my Nike Metcon 4, Knee Caps, Nylon Belt and Elastic Wrist Wraps.  The wraps were more important if I would have gone overhead or made it to the HSPU.  The Knee Caps and Belt were essential.

Cool down with some hollow body holds and Superman holds.  Then I did some foam rolling and candlestick to pancake.

Before I left the gym, I had to give the HSPU a try.  I got 2 reps at 3 abmats.  Then, I got 1 rep at 2 abmats.  When I set up the station with a "New 25# plate and 1 abmat" which was the estimate for a 5" elevated strict HSPU, I was able to do the negative, but not stand it up. 

The excitement of the Open may have gotten me a 5" elevated strict HSPU, but I might not have even been able to kick up the wall after the walking lunges and box step ups.  I have no intention of repeating this workout.  I gave it a solid effort and paced well.  My ego might be assuaged by getting a few Rx reps, but I need to keep my ego in check.  I was relieved my hamstrings stayed intact.  As usual with walking lunges, they tightened up, but I was able to keep going.



Thursday, March 7, 2019

Deadlift - Bench Press

Wednesday, March 7, 2019

BeStrong

6:00 PM

Warm Up

air squats
butt busters
hip hammy

Deadlift

Build to heavy single
5x135
5x185
4x225
3x275
1x295
1x305#

Finished with
2x5x225#

Bench Press

8x45
8x95
5x135
3x155
2x175#

BeStrong Strength and Conditioning has expanded their already awesome free Saturday program to include Monday through Thursday evenings during the month of March.  Stopping by last night, I was impressed by how open the gym felt with 7 of us in their instead of 15 of us.

The features I like are still present including plenty of weight and a group of like minded folks to train with.  It is reasonably priced, a short drive from the house and membership allows 24 hour access.

The advantage of CrossFit Golden is still the proximity to my office.  I have certainly developed more stamina by doing Crossfit several times per week.  At the same time, I have also pushed too hard to stay within workout guidelines (attempting to do 20 kipping pull-ups after warming up with 6 jumping pull-ups and some band pull aparts).  If there were a convenient $10 to $20/month gym nearby I would likely opt for that, but $2000/year is not a showstopper amount of money to spend on my well being.  The challenge will be the summer time when I will be opting for more running and bicycling. 

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

Metcon

Tuesday, March 5, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Diedre

12:00 PM ~ 10 of us

Warm Up

4 minutes hip-hammy

then 3 rounds of

20 jumping jacks
10 band arm extension
10 banded strict OH press
10 squat jumps
2 wall walk-ups
2 jumping pull-ups

Metcon (AMRAP - Rounds and Reps)

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

500m Row
20 Wall Ball Shots (20/14 lbs)
20 Pull-ups

I did the full 500m rows, and used a 14# wall ball.  First round did kipping pull-ups, first 10 ok, second 10 did not get chin over bar.  Second round started banded then switched to jumping for second 10.  Wodfitters grips were good.  I got two full rounds, finished the 3rd row, but did not pick up the wall ball.  Total 2 Rounds + 1 Rep.

Rest 5 minutes, and when the running clock reaches 20:00…

Metcon (AMRAP - Rounds and Reps)

Complete as many rounds and reps as possible in 15 minutes of:

20 Box Jump Overs
50 Double-Unders
10 Strict Handstand Push-Ups

I used a 20" box, did 40 double unders per round and did the HSPU with my knees on the 20" box.  I managed 3 Rounds + 8 Reps.

Half the group did this in the reverse order and I am not sure which would have been easier.  It was a long taxing workout.

Snatch Complex

Monday, March 4, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Patrick

6:30 PM

Warm Up

1 min air squat / squat jumps
10 banded side steps each direction
10 banded good mornings
10 banded OH press
10 banded OH squat
10 trunk twists
10 banded pass throughs

Barbell warm up

5 hang high pulls
5 hang snatch
5 snatch

Weightlifting

Five sets of:

Hang Snatch + Snatch (1 Rep)
Rest 20 seconds
High Box Jump (1.1.1.1.1)
(rest 5 seconds between jumps; step down each time)
Rest 2 minutes

This was a pretty good complex for me.  I went

45 / 24
55 / 24
60 / 30
65 / 30
70 / 30

I felt safe and controlled at 70# and 30" box jumps.   

Metcon

Three rounds for time of:
10 Bar Facing Burpees
15 Overhead Squats (135/95 lbs)

I used a 45# bar and got through the metcon in 9:45

Saturday, March 2, 2019

19.2 = 16.2 - T2B-DU-Squat Cleans

Saturday, March 2, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Greg

11:00 AM Open Gym

Warm Up

Jump Rope (singles, drills, doubles)
Kip swings
Barbell warm up to 115#

Crossfit Games Open 19.2 

(Ages 16-54) (AMRAP - Reps)
8 Minute AMRAP + Bonus Time of:

25 Toes To Bar
50 Double Unders
Squat Cleans*

*Round 1 - 15 @ 135# / 85#
*Round 2 - 13 @ 185# / 115#
*Round 3 - 11 @ 225# / 145#
*Round 4 - 9 @ 275# / 175#
*Round 5 - 7 @ 315# / 205#

Time extends by 4-minutes time after completing rounds 2, 3 and 4. If you complete Round 5, your score is the time you finish.

As advertised yesterday, I repeated this workout Rx after posting a solid 174 scaled reps.

Round 1:  I did singles on the T2B and only had 1 no rep finishing in 3:24.  The Double Unders went much better than expected and I ended up stringing together 34 unbroken and then struggled a bit.  I still got through the double unders at 4:53.  With a little over 3 minutes left in the round, I grabbed the 135# bar.  They were all singles and all power cleans followed by a front squat.  I got 8 reps before time was called.  I was super thrilled with this.  Rx score = 83 reps!!!!

Friday, March 1, 2019

19.2 = 16.2 = T2B-DU-Squat Clean

Friday, March 1, 2019

CrossFit Golden - Lacey/Greg

3:30 PM

Warm Up

3 rounds of:

Jump Rope
Leg Raise (with opposite knee bent)
Cossack Squats
Quad stretch / calf stretch

Warm Up

Kips
Cleans

Crossfit Games Open 19.2 

(Ages 16-54) (AMRAP - Reps)
8 Minute AMRAP + Bonus Time of:

25 Toes To Bar
50 Double Unders
Squat Cleans*

*Round 1 - 15 @ 135# / 85#
*Round 2 - 13 @ 185# / 115#
*Round 3 - 11 @ 225# / 145#
*Round 4 - 9 @ 275# / 175#
*Round 5 - 7 @ 315# / 205#

Time extends by 4-minutes time after completing rounds 2, 3 and 4. If you complete Round 5, your score is the time you finish.

Crossfit Games Open 19.2 Scaled 

(Ages 16-54) (AMRAP - Reps)
8 Minute AMRAP + Bonus Time of:

25 Hanging Knee-raises
50 Single Unders
Squat Cleans*


*Round 1 - 15 @ 95# / 55#
*Round 2 - 13 @ 115# / 75#
*Round 3 - 11 @ 135# / 95#
*Round 4 - 9 @ 155# / 115#
*Round 5 - 7 @ 185# / 135#

Time extends by 4-minutes time after completing rounds 2, 3 and 4. If you complete Round 5, your score is the time you finish.

This was  a repeat for me.  I did the 16.2 workout and officially got 89 reps (not making the 4 minute time cap that year).  I finished the 8 minutes as a WOD and my unofficial score would have been 169 reps.

I did it scaled again and had the audacity to line up the plates for 135#.

Round 1:  I went 9/9/7 for the hanging knee raises and unbroken on the rope skips.  The 95# squat cleans were not too bad, but they were still pretty slow.  I finished the round in 3:47

Round 2:  I went 7/7/7/4 for the hanging knee raises and then 30/20 on the rope skips.  I started the squat cleans at 5:27.  I put a belt on for 115# and started, but they were really slow.  I finished 9 reps before time was called for an official score of  174 rep!!!! PR!!!!

I wore my Nike Metcon 4 and not lifting shoes.  I still had my jump-n-rope.  This year I did use borrowed gymnastics grips, which I feel help a lot.  It taxes my grip less and I feel more secure on the bar.

This year, I did significantly better and will probably repeat the workout Rx just for grins.  I can do singles for the T2B and should get through all 25 in 3-4 minutes tops.  Then I should have 50 double unders in 2 minutes, which should leave me a couple of minutes to get some squat cleans in at 135#, my goal will be one every 30 seconds (3-4 reps). 

HSPU will be a limiter for quite some time, but I intend to focus on T2B and hopefully be stringing 3 together for the next T2B workout.